Thursday, December 1, 2011

Non Tree Christmas Tree

We decided not to cut down a tree this year because we'll be heading to New Mexico to spend the holiday with my family for a week. It seemed like a waste to get a fresh tree and only enjoy it for a couple weeks before we head out and leave it all alone to die on Christmas Day. Instead, we decided to use the money we would have put towards the tree towards airline tickets.

Don't get me wrong, though. I love all things Christmas and that includes a Christmas tree. In an effort to save money, I decided to upcycle some things I had at home to create a Christmas Non-Tree. After picturing many different ways of creating a Christmas Non-Tree, I decided to use our tomato cage. It was the perfect shape and would be the easiest method.

After scrubbing it down and sanding some rust off, I got to work draping it with Christmas lights.

The easiest way for me to do that was draping them vertically and weaving them in and out of the metal rungs.

I then gathered my billion snowflakes and threaded them with fishing line. I made about 14 strands of snowflakes. After tying them together, I draped them over the tomato cage, arranged them carefully, and voila. A Christmas Non-Tree!

It looks beautiful lit up and reminds me of watching snowflakes drift around in front of a street light.

Now that we have a Christmas (non) Tree, I can finally start to get in the Christmas spirit. I still have some other minor ways I plan on transforming our home but until then I think I need to light a candle. One drawback to a Christmas Non-Tree is that it doesn't smell like evergreens. I guess you can't win them all!

Have you ever made a creative non-tree instead of going the tradition route? I'd love to hear all about yours!

I like it! And, pro tip, most tree lots will give or sell you a couple of the branches that get sawn off the full size trees if you ask. I used to do that in DC, since I never wanted to buy a whole tree, and then use them on the door/bar/mantel/wherever I had a good excuse to decorate. Definitely adds the piney smell. :)

That is really awesome! How very creative. We always use an artificial tree, real trees make my allergies act up. This year we will be on the road (moving), so we got a really small tree to take with us and have in the hotel.

Its totally gorgeous - leads me to think of 'tin foil' or shiny wrapping paper snowflakes of different colors. A good friend of ours - used a non-tree for several years - in fact the same tree - and it was up all year round. It was a small cherry tree -or a big branch - my husband trimmed off all the non-needed branches and sprayed it with lacquer so she could keep it as long as she wanted. She covered it with lights and decorations and it was amazing. Then - in February she decorated it with hearts, in March with 4 leaf clovers and leprechauns, in April with easter eggs, baskets, and bunnies, in May and June with spring and summer flowers etc, in July-September with red white and blue stuff and in August -with birthday stuff since one of her kids had a birthday. October was Halloween, November was Thanksgiving turkeys, and then we are back to the December tree. She kept it I believe fro 4-5 years and used different decorations on it all year. Amazing idea!! I love your snowflakes! Deb in NE

This is so amazing! Wonderful idea! Thanks for adding it to the party at HH. I am tweeting and pinning this amazing idea! And feel free to drop by and add any more of your wonderful Christmas posts if you would like!

WOW!!! I think your Blizzard Snowflake Christmas tree is absolutely gorgeous, my friend...and sooo creative! I don't know if I would have ever thought to use a tomato cage is such a glorious way! I love it!!! All of the snowflakes are sooo pretty! I was trying to read if you made them all? BEAUTIFUL!!! Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful Christmas with us, my friend! I'm coming over from Jessa's Christmas party!

Many years ago, when I first started working, I lived in a YWCA room for a year. I missed the decorating, but there wasn't room for a tree. I think because of fire hazards, there were also rules against real trees.

So I made my own. I bought a yard of green felt and cut out a tree shape which I stuck on the wall - probably with tacks or tape. I bought 2 rolls of sturdy wrapping paper - shiny red and gold colored - and cut shapes out of them - circles, reindeer, horses, birds, lots of other animal shapes, I'm sure, since that's what I liked drawing. I just glued the shapes onto the felt. Then I attached tiny pieces of a small-diameter tinsel garland to the wicks of birthday cake candles, and glued the candles to the points of the branches. The tinsel was shiny and twinkly enough that I could pretend the candles were lit.

It turned out surprisingly festive and pretty - so much so that when people saw it, I was asked to make another tree for the public area of the Y. I'm not sure the second one was as good - I may have used up all my creativity for the first one.